Kosher. It’s all the rage in this week’s Torah portion. On Kashrut, Reform Judaism made its position clear for the first time in its original Pittsburgh platform of 1885:
We hold that all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet…originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state.
By the Columbus Platform of 1937, the language changed. It removed any direct mention of dietary laws except to say:
Being products of historical processes, certain of [Torah’s] laws have lost their binding force with the passing of the conditions that called them forth…Each age has the obligation to adapt the teachings of the Torah to its basic needs in consonance with the genius of Judaism.
With three more statements of principles in 1976, 1997, and 1999, the opinion of the Reform Movement on the topic of Kashrut has necessarily reflected the autonomy of each synagogue and individual, which is the hallmark of Reform Judaism. Ten years later, we continue to assess our commitment to customs and practices that elevate our sense of the sacred. Keeping kosher still remains an individual decision at home and in the community. Nationally, Reform Jews are also embracing a new form of Kashrut. By definition, Kosher is a word that means “fit,” but that definition is being revised. Consistent with current times, modern Jews are making healthier and more eco-friendly food choices. They’re not simply separating milk and meat and refraining from “treif”; they’re choosing organic, free-range, and earth-friendly fare, which for them are also Jewish ethical choices.
The result is that the long-standing monopoly on the answer to the question “What is kosher?” is changing, too. Instead of corporate heads of kosher food plants or rabbinical courts making choices about what is fit to eat, individuals are choosing to reform their choices by purchasing goods that meet new ethical standards of what is edible. In some respects, and given recent violations in kosher food processing plants, these new standards restore the Jewish ethic regarding food. Among younger generations, the revision is even being adopted in Orthodox and Conservative communities.
Choosing healthy foods for a healthy life is not just a fad. It’s part of our ethical understanding of what and how we should eat. It started in Torah. To revive meaningful Jewish food ethics, I urge us all to retain the power to make individual choices that enrich life with healthy choices for the body and mind. When our choices serve the world around us, the spirit is enriched, too. As an old joke reminds us, “it shouldn’t only be our dishes that go to heaven,” let it be our outlook that raises the bar for all things sacred.
From my desk to yours, Shabbat Shalom.
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